The present invention relates to a detent for a hand tool and more particularly to a detent having an enlarged central section which is disposed on a vertical axis in a bore in the hand tool.
The conventional detent used in hand tools such as ratchet wrenches, is a ball and spring disposed in a bore. The detent in the ratchet wrench which controls the movement of the pawl requires that the bore be formed angularly or perpendicularly into the handle and communicate with the opening in which the pawl is received. The center line and depth of the bore are critical to the proper function of the ratchet wrench. If not exactly accurate, there is the possibility of applying differing and varying torques when the direction of the pawl is reversed. In production of the ratchet wrenches, forming the bore is costly and time consuming. Further costs are incurred by rejection of inaccurately formed and/or out of tolerance bores. An additional problem is assembly of the ball and spring in a conventional detent means. The ball and/or the spring are frequently lost during assembly and repair. It is possible for employees to be injured by ejection of the small ball. Special tooling is required to install or remove the spring and ball. During maintenance and repair of the conventional wrench, the above-identified problems are present.
U.S. Pat. No. 138,973 disclosed a wrench having a duplex spring which is pressed by an eccentric to hold one member of a duplex pawl. U.S. Pat. No. 402,747 discloses a wrench in which a reversible pawl is operated by a spring which is received in a recess. In U.S. Pat. No. 1,224,223, there is disclosed a ratchet wrench having a pawl pivotably mounted on a handle and provided with two "dogs". On the side opposite the dogs is a tail, extending from each side of which are abutments. A resilient stop or spring is seated in a longitudinally-extending recess. The spring has an eye or loop which is adapted to engage one or the other of the oblique walls. U.S. Pat. No. 1,854,513 discloses a reversible ratchet wrench with a pawl and a wire of spring steel which is pivotably anchored in an aperture. The spring yields to an extent sufficient to permit the displacement of a pawl for temporary tooth disengagement until the succeeding ratchet tooth is engaged in response to a change in the direction of movement of the handle. U.S. Pat. No. 2,138,332 discloses a wrench having a spring member which has a vertical end portion and a V-shaped connecting portion. The spring engages the pawl.
These patents have not resolved the problem noted above and there still exists a need for a detent and a tool using the detent which addresses the problems.